Flotilla joining and steering mechanism.



W. P. STEVENS. FLOTILLA JOINING AND STEERING MECHANISM. APPLIGATION FILED JULY 28, 1911.

Patented Se t. 17,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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j$f e W. P. STEVENS. FLOTILLA JOINING AND STEERING MECHANISM Patented Sept. 17, 1912.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1911.

'llII/A 1 'Im COLUMBIA PLANQORAIH 60.. WASHINGTON. I). C

WILLIAM P. STEVENS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-FIFTH TO CHARLES L. SCHMIDT.

FLOTILLA JOINING AND STEERING MECHANISM.

nosaeve.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 28, 1911.

Serial No. 641,067.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. STnvnNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flotilla Joining and Steering Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises a flotilla of separate boats and is especially adapted for carrying passengers for pleasure at parks and public places having a body of water of sufficient area.

The object of the invention is to provide an attractive water craft which will accommodate a large number of passengers and carry them readily over quite shallow water.

Another object is to enable small parties to segregate themselves from the crowd and still retain the convenience, economy, and safety of transportation of the combined conveyance.

Another object is to operatively unite a plurality of boats abreast of each other and to join together two or more of such rows into a column thereby forming a connected flotilla which is adapted to be moved as a unit and steered and controlled by a single motor-boat.

A further object is to provide means for varying the number of boats in a flotilla at will; to provide means for preventing the rocking or capsizing of the individual boats and to improve and simplify the details of construction in various ways which will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a fleet of boats connected with each other and with a motor-boat in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail in plan view of the prows of two boats showing front seats removed and the gunwale partially removed to illustrate the underlying construction; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail in side elevation of the rod connecting the motor-boat with the flotilla and shows the manner of bending the end of the rod to retain it, and Fig. 5 is a detail in side elevation of the attachment of the flat tie bars to the boats.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

My flotilla will comprise a plurality of individual boats 6, each here shown as having a seating capacity for ten people. The boats will have air-tight compartments 7 at prow and stern to keep them from sinking in case-of accident and the side of each boat will be braced by transverse bars 8 having integral end plates 9 to bear against the inner walls of the boat. Each boat preferably has two braces located under the front and rear seats respectively. Plates 10 and 11 are secured to the outer sides opposite plates 9 and the outside plates of each boat are held in place by bolts 12 which extend through them and through the plates 9 and across the boat whereby, by means of nuts on the bolts 12, the boat sides may be clamped against plates 9 and brace bars 8.

The plates ll-have horizontal perforated extensions 13, to which transverse bars 14 and 15 for connecting the boats in rows abreast of each other are attached, and also to which diagonal brace bars 16 for the rear row and rods 17 and 18 for the row in front, are fastened. The bars 14 and 16 for the rear row are preferably flat, as shown,'in order to hold this row of boats, to which the motor-boat is directly attached by connecting rods, rigidly against tilting side movementliable to be caused by unequal impulses from the motor-boat, particularly when the direction of the latter is changed in steering the flotilla. The diagonal bars 16 will preferably have the under side plates QOsecured to their ends to cont-act with the under side of plate 13 while the end of the bar contacts with the upper side. The two parts thus formed are bolted to plate 13 and by this means the plate 13 will be clamped between Patented Sept. 1'7, 1912.

the two flat-sided members and will thus be held against vertical movement. This will prevent the tipping of the boats to which plates 13 are bolted, but will permit horizontal play necessary for steering purposes. The bars 15, 17 and '18, for the row of boats l in front'of the one in direct connection with the motor-boat, will preferably be round in crosssection and will have end hooks to pass through suitable perforations in plates 13. Thisprovidesa desired flexibility of attach-v ment for all of the boats not in direct drive fronrthemotorand which would be desirable. for the rear row were it not for the special conditions arising from their more directrconnection with the. motor-boat, as above described. The top diagonal brace 18 'is'in two linked parts to affordflexibility where it crosses. the brace 17 and it is provided' with a turn-buckle 19 as a means for tightening it, and also for readily loosening it so it can be unhook'ed from plates 13 and removed, thereby loosening its associated bars, to permit the ready removal or addition of individual boats to the flotilla. I To prevent tipping'of the outer boats I continue the ends of bars 15 to form the members 26 which contact with the boats well down the front ends of the rods are secured to the rear plates 13 of the rear row of boats in the manner as shown in Fig. 1. The rear ends of rods 28 are bent down at right ,iLIlglGS forming a member which is passed through plate 25 and is again bent to the rear at right angles forming a member which bears against the under side of plate 25 and prevents the detachment of the rod except when its front end is raised.

While I have here shown two rows of boats with four boats in each row it is ob vious that there may be a greater or less number of boats in the rows and onlyone row or more than two rows without departs ing from the spirit of this invention; also, that the boats may be utilized for conveying freight instead of passengers and that they may be varied in size according to the capacity-desired; also that-thegrouping of the boats may be otherwise than in straight rows in front of the motor-boat, and'that they may be pulled as well as pushed by the motor-boat. I I therefore do not desire to'be limited to the exact construction shown and described,

but,

What I do claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a flotilla, a motor-driven boat,means for steering said boat, a plurality of other boats on each side of the path of the motordriven boat, means for flexibly connecting the plurality of other boats together to be propelled and steered as a unit means connected wlth said last means for lmnting the rocking movement of. the boats, and

means connecting'said unit with the motor- ..driven boatto cause the unit to be moved the motor-boat, and means for connecting said unit' with the motor-boat to propel and steer the unit by the movement of the motor-boat. I v p 3. In a flotilla, a plurality of boats, bars connecting the boats with each other side by side in rows, means connected with said lastrmeans for limiting the rocking movement of the boats, means for connecting said rows in a columma motor-driven boat, means for steering the latter, andmeans for connecting said column of boats with the motor-driven boat whereby the. column of boats will be propelled and steered by the motor-driven boa i 7 4. A plurality of boats, plates on the sides of the boats having horizontal perforated members, bars having hooked ends passing looselyf through said perforated members some of said hooked endsbeing extended downwardly to formstops to contact with the sides of the boats below'the horizontal 'members and limit the rocking of the boats.

5. Aplurality' of boats abreast of each other, transverse bars and oblique braces holding the boats in that position, the upper ones of said oblique braces'being in two jointed pieces. V

6. A plurality of boats abreast of each other, transverse bars and oblique braces holding the boats in that position, the upper oblique braces being 'in two jointed parts and a turn buckle to tighten theajointed '7. A plurality of boats, plates on the sides offsaid boatshaving horizontal perforated member, bars having bent ends passing loosely through thelperforations of said horizontal members connecting .said members to unite the boats into aflexible unit, and means on said bars to limit the rocking movement of the boats; f

8. A plurality of boats abreast of each other in rows and plurality of rows in a this, 24th day of July, A. D. one thousand column, plates on the sides of said boats, nine hundred and eleven. and transverse bars, and also diagonal bars,

attached at their ends to said plates to join WILLIAM STEVENS the boats into a unit. Witnesses:

In Witness whereof, I, have hereunto set F. W. WOERNER, my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, J. A. MINTURN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 6. 

